Rep. Trent Franks says he will resign immediately as details of allegations emerge

Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks announced Thursday night he will resign from Congress at the end of January after the House Ethics Committee said it would open an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.
Time

U.S. Rep. Trent Franks testifies during a hearing before the Energy and Power Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2011.(Photo: Getty Images)

The unexpected acceleration of Franks' departure came as more details emerged about the allegations, which had been referred to the House Ethics Committee.

In giving his version of the events Thursday, Franks said that he and his wife had struggled with infertility and that a "discussion of surrogacy" with two women who worked for him had "caused distress."

The former staffer said the congressman asked at least four times if she'd be willing to act as a surrogate in exchange for money. Franks, in his statement announcing his resignation, said he and his wife have struggled with infertility.

The Associated Press said it verified the identity of the former staffer, who asked that her name be withheld out of concern for her privacy, and confirmed that she had worked in Franks' office.

Politico, meanwhile, citing unnamed House GOP sources with knowledge of the complaint, reported that it was unclear to the women if Franks was proposing they have sexual intercourse or use in vitro fertilization to impregnate them. A former staffer alleged Franks attempted to convince a female aide that they were in love, according to Politico. After rebuffing Franks, one woman claimed her access to the congressman was cut off, Politico reported.

Franks denied all of the allegations to Politico through a spokesperson on Friday.

Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., takes questions during a TV interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, on July 14, 2017, just before the Republican-led House decisively approved a defense spending bill for 2018.
J. Scott Applewhite, AP

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Timeline changes

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Thursday that he had found the women's claims credible and that Franks had not denied them. Ryan did not detail those allegations.

"The speaker told Rep. Franks that he intended to refer the allegations directly to the House Ethics Committee and told him that he should resign from Congress," Ryan's office said in a statement. "The allegations were filed with the Ethics Committee last Friday. And today, the speaker accepted a letter of resignation. The speaker takes seriously his obligation to ensure a safe workplace in the House."

Franks had planned to serve until Jan. 31. But Friday he said in a statement that his resignation would be immediate: "Last night, my wife was admitted to the hospital in Washington, D.C., due to an ongoing ailment. After discussing options with my wife, we came to the conclusion that the best thing for our family now would be for me to tender my resignation effective today, December 8th, 2017."

His office was permanently closed Friday, shortly after his resignation became effective immediately.

The special elections to replace Franks are expected to move ahead quickly.

The primary election is expected to happen between Feb. 26 and March 8, according to estimates by the Arizona Republican Party. The general election would be held between April 17 and May 7.

Colleagues silent on resignations

As Franks' tenure ended, the wider repercussions were beginning.

None of Franks' Arizona colleagues commented on his departure on social media while the news moved into a second day.

It was unclear whether anyone would move to financially distance themselves from contributions from Franks or the political-action committee he controlled.

Rep. Martha McSally, for example, received more than $16,400 from Franks beginning in 2012 and as recently as September. Neither her campaign nor her office responded to an inquiry about whether she intends to keep the money.

The Arizona Democratic Party criticized McSally for calling Democratic Rep. John Conyers a "dirty old man" after he was accused of making sexual advances on a staffer, but she refused to similarly condemn Franks or Alabama Republican Roy Moore, who faces a raft of accusers who said he sought sexual relations with them decades ago when they were under 18 and he was in his 30s.

"Congresswoman McSally, it is your job to represent Arizonans and you’ve failed by playing politics on an issue that shouldn’t have a party identity,” said Drew Anderson, a spokesman for the Democrats. “If McSally fails to condemn Roy Moore and return Congressman Franks’ money, it will be yet another example of how McSally has put politics — not Arizonans — first.”

Earlier this year, state Sen. Steve Smith, who is running for the Republican nomination in Arizona's northeastern district, collected $1,000 from Franks' PAC in June.